Product Information

Overview

The G-Technology G-DRIVE hard drive is a superb choice for projects like digital photography, audio/video editing and high-speed data backup that involve huge amounts of data. That's because its USB 3.0 and FireWire interfaces can handle enormous traffic volumes. Plus it's plug and play on Mac OSX and ready to use with Time Machine. And G-DRIVE remains cool and quiet thanks to an all-aluminium enclosure with an integrated heat-sink system.

Highlights

USB 3.0 and FireWire ports for flexible, high-speed data transfer

Integrated heat-sink for near silent operation and cooling

Solid all-aluminium case makes for durability and stylish looks

Plenty of storage for digital video, music, and photo files

Includes all cables

Time Machine-ready, plug-and-play setup on Mac OS

Mac OS X and Windows compatible

Three-year factory warranty

Did you notice?

The sleek aluminium enclosure delivers the best in reliability and durability.

Apple Recommends For

A perfect companion for your Mac and all your demanding applications.

What's in the Box?

G-Technology G-DRIVE Professional External Hard Drive

Universal AC power supply

FireWire 800 cables

USB 3.0 cable (backward compatible with USB 2.0)

Tech Specs

Other Features : Kensington Port, Time Machine compatible

Connections : Firewire 400, Firewire 800, USB 2.0, USB 3.0

Power Source : External power supply

Height : 47 mm/1.85 in.

Width : 130 mm/5.125 in.

Weight : 1300 g

Length : 235 mm/9.25 in.

System Requirements

Mac

USB 3.0, USB 2.0 or FireWire port

OS X 10.5 or later

Windows

USB 3.0, USB 2.0 or FireWire port

Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Manufacturer Information

Part Number

Mfr. Part Number : 0G02537

UPC or EAN No. : 705487191165

Warranty

Note : Products sold through this website that do not bear the Apple Brand name are serviced and supported exclusively by their manufacturers in accordance with terms and conditions packaged with the products. Apple's Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Please contact the manufacturer directly for technical support and customer service.

4GB Not Suitable for Time Machine

3.0 out of 5 stars

These drives spin down when not active, even when you have System Preferencs set to not let that happen. This causes a problem wi
These drives spin down when not active, even when you have System Preferencs set to not let that happen. This causes a problem with both Spotlight and Time Machine. The first Time Machine backup works fine, but the second fails because the drive doesn't spin up before Time Machine times out on it. And more backups always fail because Spotlight has hung on the device at the same time. You have to reboot to clear this.

I contacted G-Technology and they told me to buy software that keeps the drive spinning by constantly using it, even when it isn't needed. There is no settings or jumpers you can change to resolve this. There are a couple of posts on the Apple Support Forums that discuss this as well.

I give it three stars because its an otherwise usable drive for normal use when you're sitting at the machine. But don't buy this if all you want it to do it Time Machine backups.
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Written by Steve H from Sioux falls

Aug 13, 2013

92 of 97 people found this useful

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4GB Not Suitable for Time Machine

Perfect!

5.0 out of 5 stars

I purchased this hard drive about 3 months ago now, i have used alot of external hardrives over the years, and have always been pa
I purchased this hard drive about 3 months ago now, i have used alot of external hardrives over the years, and have always been partial to LaCie D2 series, but as more and more of them began dieing, i decided to drive another brand...This G-Technology Drive not only looks great beside my imac, with the impressive 4tb of space and its very small footprint, this thing has been flawless! I have kept it running constantly for three months straight, as i use it connected to my airport extreme as a network media server...it stays cool, has never froze, the fan is quiet, i cannot find a single flaw with this drive..i will definately be buying more to replace my aging LaCie drives!
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Written by Chris B from Stoney Creek

Jun 14, 2013

64 of 66 people found this useful

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Perfect!

What a fantastic external hard drive!

5.0 out of 5 stars

I purchased this external hard drive to use with my 2012 iMac for Time Machine.

The G-Technology drive can connect by either Fi
I purchased this external hard drive to use with my 2012 iMac for Time Machine.

The G-Technology drive can connect by either Firewire or USB 3 (I use the USB 3 connection).

Before I set it up for Time Machine I wanted to see how much faster USB 3 was to USB 2. So what I did was, I had a 3.96 GB folder which contained some video's. I firstly copied this folder from my iMac to my USB 2 external hard drive and the total time took to copy was 1 minute 49 seconds.

I then copied the same folder to the G-Technology drive and it took just 24 seconds. I knew USB 3 would be faster than USB 2 but not that much faster.

For Time Machine this drive is perfect, it has masses of storage and with USB 3 speeds, Time Machine backups are done in seconds. I tend to do a Time Machine backup once a day, and with me installing a fair amount of my stuff (due to just receiving my iMac) the backups are in the region of 10-15GB. This drive completes these 10-15GB backups in around 30 seconds over USB 3.

I find the drive to be relatively quiet although not as quiet as the iMac, but that's only to be expected as this external hard drive is on the outside and not on the inside like the iMac's hard drive is.

The build quality and materials used are superb. Its made of aluminium and is an exact match for the iMac or Macbook's. The hard drive is very solidly built.

For me, this drive ticks all the boxes. Its fast, very well made, the design is a perfect compliment to the iMac or Macbooks.

G-Technology 4TB G-Drive Falls Asleep all the time

1.0 out of 5 stars

Even when told not to sleep by Mac OS X Mavericks, both my 4-TB G-Drives always fall asleep after just a few minutes. This makes w
Even when told not to sleep by Mac OS X Mavericks, both my 4-TB G-Drives always fall asleep after just a few minutes. This makes working on multitrack recording using these drives extremely tedious and annoying. They need to respect the system sleep settings and stop snoozing on the job! They should also still fall asleep as expected when the system sleeps.

This falling asleep "Feature" makes these drives lose all the praise any of their other features would warrant. They become targets for replacement with a better product.

Also, there is no mention of this in their support documentation. I know this is an issue for even earlier versions of their products. Their complete lack of acknowledgement and failure to address this issue makes me want to work with a different company next time too.
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Written by Daniel L from Beaverton

Jan 20, 2015

2 of 2 people found this useful

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G-Technology 4TB G-Drive Falls Asleep all the time

Fast and reliable

5.0 out of 5 stars

I bought this drive a few months ago and have found it reliable, quiet and fast. I haven't quite managed to work out the best way
I bought this drive a few months ago and have found it reliable, quiet and fast. I haven't quite managed to work out the best way to connect the drive to my Mac i.e. whether Thunderbolt is faster than USB3 as I have been impressed with transfer with both. The drive also looks great beside my MBP. It comes complete with Thunderbolt cable which is another plus!
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Written by David C from Lisburn

Jan 14, 2015

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Fast and reliable

I wouldn't say it is perfect but it is darn good

4.0 out of 5 stars

I use it as a network drive via USB 2.0 cable plugged into the back of my router. It does spin down when not used so there is a ty
I use it as a network drive via USB 2.0 cable plugged into the back of my router. It does spin down when not used so there is a typical delay upon wake up. It is quiet and stays cool even with continuous use. I have several hundred ripped DVD movies stored on it and I stream them via Apple TV and it works flawless for this, I also use it for Time Capsule and it also works flawless in that application.

Answer

Hi,
yes this drive is perfect for Final Cut Pro X. I use it and another smaller G drive unit (750
Hi,
yes this drive is perfect for Final Cut Pro X. I use it and another smaller G drive unit (750 gig).
When you are importing media, FCPX will give you the option of which drive to use. It saves original, transcoded media and keeps all your projects neatly in folders just like it would on your Mac Hard Drive.
If you choose to import to the drive, FCPX will automatically save all future projects the same destination providing you have the unit powered on. It's a very reliable machine :)
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Answer

If you are asking if it needs to be connected to a mains power outlet in order to use it, the answer
If you are asking if it needs to be connected to a mains power outlet in order to use it, the answer is Yes it does.
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Answer

I have the 2TB version hooked up to my iMac via FW800. My iTunes library is on the external drive. I
I have the 2TB version hooked up to my iMac via FW800. My iTunes library is on the external drive. It works fine but occasionally there is a slight delay when using iTunes as the external drive spins up.
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